not begin with a particular proof of each part It seems you would argue thus This and that text of Scripture are true therefore they are Gods word but reason telleth you you should argue thus This is Gods word therfore it is true If you set a boy at school to learn his Grammar will you allow him to be so foolish as to stay till he can reconcile every seeming contradiction in it before he believe it to be a Grammar or submit to learn and use its Rules Or will you not â—pect that he first know it to be a Grammar â—â— then make it his business to learn to understaâ—â— it and therein to learn to reconcile all sâ—em 〈…〉 contradictions And should he not in modesâ— and reason think that his Master can reconâ—â— that which may seem unreconcileable to him aâ— such unlearned Novices as he is For my part I am fully resolved That if 〈…〉 Reason could reach to none of the matters â—â—vealed in Scriptures so as to see them in the evâ—dence of the thing yet if I once see the evidenâ—â— of Divine Revelation I may well be assured thâ—â— it iâ— wholly true how far soever it mâ—y transcenâ—â— my Reason For I have Reason to believe all the God revealeth and assertâ—th and I have reâ—soâ— to acknowledge the imbeâ—illity of my Reasoâ— and its incompetency to censure the Wisdom oâ— God And thus I abhor both the doctrine of then that say We have no Reason to be Christians and that the truth of Scripture is an indemonstrable principle that must be believed without Reasons and not proved by them And also the Arrogant infidelity of them that will believe nothing to be a Divine Revelation unless their Reason can comprehend the thing it self or at least if there be any thing in it that seems contradictory to their Reason and so will begin at the wrong end and examine the particular matters by the test of their blinde Reason when they should first examine the attestations of the whole where the evidences are more fitted for the Reason even of the yonger Christians to discern I easily confess that no man should groundâ—esly believe any thing to be a Divine Testimony or believe any man that saith he speaks from God But when God hath given them sufficient Reason to believe that the Testimony and Revelation is indeed from himself if after that men will still be doubting because their Reason is stalled about the Manner and the Causes and Ends and will believe no more then is within the reach of their Reason in these respects nor confess that it is Gods Word unless they can vindicate it from all Objections and know why and how it is as well as that it is this is a meer unreasonable unbelief It is ordinary with Princes and other Law-givers in wisdom to conceal the Reason of their Laws Shall Subjects therefore presume to censure them as defective in Wisdom or Justice because that they know not the Reason of them I say again If there were nothing in Scripture but what the Reason of man could comprehend it were not so like to be the product of the infinite Wisdom of God Let Reason therefore stoop to the Wisdom of our Maker and when he hath let us know that it is he that speaketh let us humbly learn and not proudly expostulate with him about the rest Though I shall not undertake to set upon the resolution of all the Questions of incredulous men which they commonly raise against the Word of God for that would take up many large Volumns of it self yet as I have disswaded them from this Arrogancy of wit so I sh 〈…〉 make tryal of a few of their commonest a 〈…〉 greatest Objections to shew them that their Iâ—fidelity is capable of a Confutation as well 〈…〉 of a Dehortation Object 1. You tell us out of Scripture that therâ— are Devils most wicked malicious spirits addict 〈…〉 to do evil Who made these Devils or how can they to be so bad Certainly God is good and therefore made nothing but what was good and everâ— thing must have a first cause If they made themselves evil then they were the first cause of theiâ— own evil And then you deifie the will of the Devil in making it to be absolutely a first cause â—â— you say as some That sin is but a privation and therefore hath no efficient cause but a deficient 〈…〉 then either that deficiency must be first from Goâ— and then he should be the first cause of all sin or from the will of the Devil and then either he waâ— before bound non-deficere or not If not it was no sin if he were then first he could primo deficere though God did all that belonged to him to prevent it secondly and he could have stood without any more help then he had when he fell and so quoad determinationem propriae voluntatis should have been the first determining cause of his own perseverance or non-deficiency For if he could not stand it was no sin to fall being before innocent Moreover their sin was not a meer privation but materially an act whether velle or nolle and formally a relation of disconformity to the Law Answ. 1 The Devil himself was the first cause of his own pravity God made him not evil but he made himself so God gave him free-wil to be a self-determining principle by this he was enabled to stand or fall and left in the hands of his own counsel By a sinful act he averted himself from the chiefest good and became disposed to a further aversion which might quickly habituate him to all evil Nor is it any deifying of the Creatures will to say it is such a self-determining principle and so far a first cause while it had the power of self-determination from God and so absolutely is no first cause It was the excellency of the Creature as being to be governed to have freewil or a self-determining power to good or evil Though it be a higher perfection to be determined or determinable onely to good which in Patriâ may be enjoyed yet in viâ for one under Government in the use of means in order to the end it is most suitable to their condition to have a liberty of self-determination And therefore this was part of the beauty of the frame of Nature and therefore not derogatory from the workman As God intended sapientially or per potentiam sapientiae to govern the rational Creature by Laws and Objects So did he sapientially frame him in a capacity for such a Sapiential Government and that was by giving â—im a free that is a self-determining will Indeed the Angelical Nature and Soul of Man is so exquisit and subtile and sublime a â—hing that no man can exactly perceive and comâ—rehend the manner of its self-determination â—ut the thing it self is not to be doubted of though the manner of it be yet past our reach We may certainly concluâ—e therefore That
have eyes and sight For he that hath not eyes and eye-sight can see nothing at all so the intellective Soul was not made directly to understand it self and itâ— own intellection but to understand other things and thereby to know that we have an intellectual Soul For he that understandeth doth understand something and thereby he understandeth that he doth understand and so that he hath an intellectual faculty For he that hath not an intellectual Soul can understand nothing at all yet I will not presume to determine the controversie Whether the Intellect do know its own and the Wills elicit acts by direct intuition of the act it self It s as unreasonable a thing then to doubt whether we have such intellectual Souls because they know not themselves directly oâ— fully as long as they know other things as it iâ— to doubt whether we have eyes because they sâ—â— not themselves as long as they see external Objects 2. Moreover this corruption doth often diâ—cover it self in that men will not believe the truâ—â— of the thing revealed because they cannot reaâ—â— to understand the causes of it so many w 〈…〉 question Gods decrees of Predestination and P 〈…〉 terition because they cannot reach the cau 〈…〉 And many will deny the very work of Creatio 〈…〉 because they cannot know the way of Creatio 〈…〉 They will question whether they have immor 〈…〉 Souls because they cannot tell how they â—â—â— caused whether by seminal traduction and p 〈…〉 pagation or by immediate Creation They 〈◊〉 deny the work of Gods differencing effect 〈…〉 Grace because they know not how it is given o 〈…〉 or wrought in the Soul And as well might they deny that they have flesh or bones till they better know how they were caused in the Womb And they may as well deny that they have any blood in their bodies any nutrition or augmentation till they better know the mystery of Sanguification and other nâ—triâ—ive works And as well may they say That the Sun doth not shine or warm us till they know how it is that these are caused by the Sun They know not how the Plants are animated and specified nor how they suck their nutriment from the Earth and yet they know that such things are They know not how the silly Snail doth form her Shell or Nature for her nor how the Feâ—thers of the Peacock are so beautified and the several sorts of Birds Beasts Plants Fruits are so diversified and adorned and yet they know that such things are Or as Christ telleth Nicodemus here The wind bloweth where it listeth and you hear the sound thereof but know not whence it cometh c. And do we therefore say That there is no winâ— because we know not whence it cometh or what is the inferior cause of it Will you say That the Sea doth not ebbe and flow or there are no Earthquake Thunder and Lightning because men do so little know the causes of them Faelix qui potuit c. It is not every mans lot to reach such causes nor any mans on Earth to know the causes of all things which he knoweth to be nor fully the causes of any one 3. Moreover This folly of mans heart doth discover it self thus In that men will not believe the truths revealed by God because they cannot see Gods Ends and Reasons and the use of the things Many an evident Truth is rejected by the proud wit of foolish man because God hath not told them why he hath so determined and ordered the business or if he have told it yet they understand it not So many Infidels and Socinians do deny Christs Satisfaction as a Ransom and Sacrifice for sin because they cannot see any reason for it or necessity of it They cannot see but God may pardon sin without satisfaction And then what need of all this ado or what likelihood that God would lay so much on his Son or make so great a business of this work for our good and his glory if all was needless And thus many deny the Universal extent of his satisfaction as being for all mankinde because they are not able to see the reason and use of it They thrust in their dead quorsum as a sufficient answer to the most express words of God And ask what good will it do men to be ransomed and not saved They fear not to say That this is a thing unbeseeming God and such a weakness as men would not be guilty of So that if we can prove that such a thing there is they will not fear to charge it on God as his unreasonable weakness The like we might shew in many other points And must God unlock to us the Reasons Ends and Uses of his Truths and Works before we will believe that such things are We will alloâ— Parents to conceal the Reasons and Ends of many precepts from their Children and a Prince to conceal the Reasons of many Laws and to keeâ— to himself the Aâ—cana Imperii the mysteries of State and must God open all before he can be believed Is not the Wisdom and the Will of God the most satisfying Reason in the World Must you have proper Reasonings and Intentions in God or will you have a cause of the first cause or an end of the ultimate end of all Alâ—s how little do the wisest men know of the use and ends of many a Creature over their heads and under their feet which their eyes behold yea how little know they of the use and ends of many a part of their own bodies And yet they know that such things there are What abundance of why's hath an Arrogant Infidel upon the reading of Scripture from the beginning of Geneâ—â—s to the end of the Revelation which must all be satisfied before he will believe Of all which God will one day satisfie them but not in the manner as they would have prescribed him 4. Another expression of this Arrogant Ignorance is When men will not believe the several truths of God because they are not able to reconcile them and place each one in its own order and see the Method and Body of Truth in its true Locations and Proportion Nay perhaps they will believe none because they cannot discern the harmony What abundance of seeming contradictions in Scripture do rise up in the eyes of an Ignorant Infidel as strange apparitions do to a distracted man or as many colours do before the inflamed or distempered eye These self-conceited ignorant Sâ—uls do imagine all to be impossible which exceedeth their knowledge and because they cannot sâ—e the sweet consent of Scripture and how those places do suit and fortifie â—â—ch other which to them seemed to contradict each other therefore they think that no one â—lsâ— can see it no not â—od himself They are like an ignorâ—nt fellow in â— Watch-makers shâ—p that thinks no body can â—â—â— all the loose â—eeces together and make a Watâ—h of them because he cannot When
he hath tryed many ways and câ—â—â—ot hit it he casts all by and concludeth that its impossible And upon this account many cast away particular truths though they will not câ—st awâ—y all Some cannot reconcile the efficiency of the â—pâ—â—iâ— with that of the Word in the Conversion and Confirmation of sinners and therefore sâ—me exclude one and some the other or own but the empty names some cannot reconcâ—le the Law and the Gospel And too great a part of the Teachers in the Christian World have been so troubled to reconcile Gods grace with mans â—reewill that of old many did too much exclude Grace and of late too many exclude the natural liberty of the will upon a supposition of the inconsistency onely the names of both were still owned Many cannot reconciâ—e the sufficiency of Christs satisfaction with the necessity of mans endeavors and inherent righteousness and therefore one must be straitned or denied Many cannot reconcile common love and grace with that which is special and proper to the Elect and therefore some deny one and some another The like might be said of many other cases wherein the Arrogancy of mans wit hath cast out Gods truth If both parts be never so express yet they are upon this unbelieving questioning strain How can these things be How can these agree together How can both be true when yet its evident that God hath owned both It is certain that the Truths of Gods Word are one perfect well joynted Body and the perfect symmetry or proportion is much of its beauty It is certain that Method is an excellent help in knowing Divine things and that no man can know Gods truths perfectly till he see them all as in one Scheam or Body with one view as it were and so sees the Location of each Truth and the respect that it hath to all the rest not onely to see that there is no contradiction but how every Truth doth fortifie the rest All this therefore is exceeding desirable but it is not every mans lot to attain it nor any mans in this world perfectly or near to a perfection It is true that the sight of all Gods frame of the Creation uno intuitu in all its parts with all their respects to each other would acquaint us with abundance more of the glory of it then by looking on the Members peace-meal we can attain But who can see them thus but God at least what mortal eye can do it And we shall never in this life attain to see the full Body of Divine Revealed-Truths in that method and due proportion as is necessary to the knowledge of its fulâ— beauty It is a most perfectly melodious Instrument but every man cannot set it in tuâ—e so as to peâ—ceâ—ve the delectable harmony What then because we cannot know all shall we know nothing or deny all Because we cannot see the whose frame of the world in its junctures and proportion shall we say That there is no world or that the parts are not rightly situated or â—eâ—gn one to be inconsistent with the rest We must rather receive first that which is most clear and labor by degrees to see through the obscurities that beset the rest And if we first finde from God that both are truths let us receive them and learn how to reconcile them after as we can And if we cannot reach it its arrogancy therefore to think that it is not to be done and to be so highly conceited of our own understandings 5. Another way by which this Arrogant Iâ—sidelâ—ty worketh is this When men will not believe any revealed â—ruth of God unless they can see a possibility of accomplishing the matter by natural means And therefore when ever in reading the Scripture they come to a work that â—assâ—th the power of the Creature the Nâ—â—â—demâ—tes stagger at it through unbelief and sâ—y How can these things be And the fixed Infidels with Julian deride it When they read of the Scripture miracles they cannot believe them because they are miracles Is this a likely matter say thâ—â— that such and such things should be And why is it unlikely Because it is too hard for God What I doth his Creature know his infinite power And can you set him his bounds and say Thus far God can go and no further Thus much God can do and no more Is it ever the more difficult to God because it is impossible to such as we Will you say That a horse cannot carry you on his back because a flie cannot Creatures may be compared to Creatures but between the Creator and the Creature there is no comparison Have you read how God posed Job in point of power and knowledge Job 38. 39 40 41. But who is he that hath posed God What is that work that should be difficult to him that by his Word or Will did make all the Worlds Are they greater works then those which he hath certainly done that you speak of so incredulously If you had never seen the Sun or Moon or Stars or Earth or Sea and had meerly found it written that God made such a World it is like you would as doubtingly have said How can these things be If you had no more seen the Light or Sun then you have seen the Angels or Souls of men its like you would have as little believed that there is such a thing as Light or a Sun as you now do that there are Angels and Immortal Souls But I hope you are satisfied in the things you see and may not they shame your incredulity of the things you do not see You see there is a Sun and Moon and Firmament and Earth you know these had either a Maker and Cause or else were eternal and as an eternal cause to themselves If they were eternal or made themselves then they are the first Being and Cause and so are gods And is it not more reasonable to believe one God then so many And to believe that God is a perfect incomprehensible superin-tellectual Being then to believe that the sâ—nseless Earth is a god Is it not more â—easonable to conclude That this one Perfect Eternal God made all things then that every Stone did make it self or That the Sun or Moon or any Creature made it self and the rest If you believe That all things are the Works of God then you see that with your eyes that may shame your foolish dark-increâ—ulity Do you see a greater Work and think it unlikely that the same power should do a lesser Do you see so much of the World that was mâ—dâ— by a word and do you ask How can these things be when you read of any miracle or unusual work If it were your self or such as you that had been the doer of such works you might well say How can these things be But God is not as man in his Works or Word 6. Yea many times when men do but hear read or think of some Objection against the
others Bâ—cause he findes himself both fallible and fallacious he is ready to think that God himself is so too For corrupt man is prone to question wheâ—her there be any higher vertue then he hath experience of in himself 14. Also it is a great occasion of this sin of Infidelity and Arrogancy and questioning all that men do not understand that they know not the true nature of the Christian State and Life and build not in the order that Christ hath prescribed them Christs method is this That they should first understand and believe those Essentials of Christianity without which there is no Salvation and then engage themselves to learn of him as his Disciples and so to set themselves to School to him and live under his teaching that they may know by degrees the rest of his will And his teaching is joyntly by his Word Ministers and Spirit Men must first lay the Foundation in an explicite faith and hold to those Fundamentals as of inâ—allible certainty and not expect to know the rest in a moment nor without much diligence and patience but wait on Christ in the Condition of Disciples to learn all the rest All this is expressed in Christs Commission to his Apostles Matth. 28. 19. â—0 21. Where he first bids them disciple the Nations which contains the convincing them at age of the fundamentals and procuring their consent and then to baptize them that they may be solemnly engaged and then teach them to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them and this must be the work of all their lives Now here are two gross Errors contrary to this stablished order of Christ which Professors do oft run into to their own perdition The one is when they do not first lay the Fundamentals as â—ertainâ—ieâ— but hold them loosly and are ready on all occasions to reduce them to doubtful and uncertain points or to question them though their evidence be never so full because of some defect of evidence in other points A most foolish and perverse course which will hinder any man that useth it from the true understanding of any Science in the World For in all Sciences there are some undoubted Principles which must be first laid and it must not be expected that all points else should be of equal necessity or evidence as they But if we should meet with never so much doubtfulness in any of the superstructure yet these principles must still be held fast For he that will be still pluâ—king up his Foundation upon every error in the building is never like to perfect his work The second common Error is That as Professors do not lay the Foundation as certain so they do not unseignedly sâ—t themselves in the true posture of Disciples or Schollars to learn the â—est but think themselves past Schollars when they have gone to School and engaged themselves to Christ their Teacher This is the undoing of the greatest part of the visible Church If they come to the Congregation it is not as Schollars to School but as Judges to pass sentence of the Doctrine of their Teachers before they understand it And if they reade the Scripture it is in the same sort When they are at a loss through any occurrent difficulty they do not go to their Teachers as humble Schollars to learn the true sence of the Word and the solution of their doubts But they go as confident cenâ—urers and as boys that will go to School to dispute with their Master and not to learn and therefore no wâ—nder if they turn self-conceited Hâ—râ—tâ—ckâ— or â—nfidâ—lâ— For Christ hath resolved that the most learned and worldlâ—-wâ—se if they will come to Scâ—oâ—l to â—im as his Disciples mu 〈…〉 come â—s little Children consâ—ious oâ— their ignorance and humble enough to submit to his Instructions and not proudly conceited that they are wise enough already And they must wait upon his Teaching year after year and not think that they are capable of a present understanding of each revealed Truth 15. Lastly Besides all the former causes of this Sin some men are judicially deserted and left to the power of their Arrogancy and Infidelity When God hath shewed men the light of Fundamental verities and instead of hearty entertaining and obeying them they will imprison them in unrighteousness and receive not the truth in the love of it that they may be saved God oft gives them over to believe a lie and to reject that Truth which would have saved them if they had received it I have noted many Professors that have lived in pride flesh-pleasing or secret filthiness or unrighteousness or worldliness and would not see nor forsake their sin but hold on in their profession and their lusts together that these are most commonly given over to gross Heresies or Infidelity For when they are once captivated to their fleshly lust and inâ—erest and yet reade and know the damâ—ableness of such a staâ—â— they have no way left to quiet theâ—r Conscience but either to believe that Scripture is false and then they need not fear its threatnings or else to leave their sins with confession and contrition which their carnal hearts and interest will not permit From what hath been said already in the opening of this point we may see what a corrupt and froward heart is in man as to the matters of God and his own Salvation Three notable corruptions are together comprehended in the disteâ—peâ— which we have here described and exâ—â—â—ssâ—d in the common incrâ—dulous questioning How can these things be First You may hear in this question the voice of Ignorance Men have lost the true knowledge of God and of his works especially in Spirituals The natural man discerneth them not for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. We are as blind men gâ—oaping in the dark at a loss upon every difficulty that occurs Evidence or truth is no evidence to us because our understandings are unprepared to receive it and be shut against it When we should love the â—ruth we cannot finde it when we should glorifie the God of Truth we know him noâ— but in our hearts say as Pilate What is Truth And as Pharaoh Who is the Lord We are grown strangers to the way that we should go home in and strangâ—râ— to the voice that should tell us the way and to the hand that should guide us in it and strangers to the everlasting home that we should go to So that instead of a chearful following our Guide we are crying out at every turning How can these things be 2. And here is comprehended and manifested also the perverseness of mans understanding that will needs begin at the wrong end of his Bâ—ok and read backwardâ— And when he should be first inquiring Whether these things be so or not He will needs be first resolved How they can be so And he will not believe that they can be so till he knows how they can be so whereas common reason would
your mouth in unbelief How plain is that to a man of knowledge which to the ignorant seems impossible If the certain event did not convince them you should never perswade the ignorant vulgar that learned men know so much of the motions of the Planets and can so long before tell the Eclipse of Sun or Moon to a Minute But when they see it come to pass they are convinced Thus can God convince thee of the verity of his word either by a merciful illumination or by a terrible execution For there is not a soul in Hell but doth believe the truth of the threatnings of God And the Devils themselves Believe that would draw thee to unbelief 12. Lastly Take heed of the very beginnings of this sin for it is the ordinary way to total Apostasy when men have once so far lost their humility and modesty and forgot that they are men or what a man is as to make their shallow Reason the censurer of Gods Word because of certain seeming improbabilities and when they will not rest satisfyed in the bare Word of God that thus it is but they must needs know why anâ— how it can be this opens the flood-gate of temptations upon them for the envious Serpent wilâ— quickly shew them more difficulties then their shallow brains can answer and will cull out all those passages of Scripture which are hard to be understood which the unlearned and unstable dâ— wrest to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3. 18. He will shew them all the knots but never shew them how to untye them Such arrogant questioners censurers of Gods word do oft run on to utter infidelity while they are incompetent Judges and do not know it what can be expected from them but a false judgement For though the light shineth in darkness yet the darkness comprehendeth it no Joh 1. 5. and therefore presumeth to condemn the light O therefore let all young raw students and unsetled wits take heed in the fear of God that they exalt not themselves and that they think not their weak understandings to be capable of comprehending the counsels of God and passing a censure upon his word upon the nature of the matter as appearing unto them Nay let the sharpest wits and greatest scholars stoop down before the wisdom of God and be have themselves as humble learners and enter as little children into his schoole and Kingdom and submissively put their mouths in the dust and take heed of setting their wits against heaven or challenging the infinite wisdom to a disputation If they love themselves let them take this advice and remember that God delighteth to scatter the proud in the imagination of their own hearts Luke 1. 51. and to pull down â—spiring sinners to the dust As they that would set their power against God would soon be conâ—inced of their madness by their ruine so they that will set their wisdom against him are like to escape no better Let no man deceive himself if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God For it is written he taketh the wise in their own craftiness And again The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain 1 Cor. 3 18 19 20. Object But would you not have men satisfyed of the reasonableness of what they believe shall men believe that which is unreasonable this were to make us mad and not Christians Answ. You must believe nothing but what you have sufficient reason to believe But then you must know what is sufficient reason for Belief Prove but the thing to be the Testimony of God and then you have sufficient reason to believe it whatsoever it be For Faith proceedeth by this Argumentation whatsoever God testifyeth is True But this God testifyeth Therefore it is true You have as good reason to believe the Major as that there is a God and he that acknowledgeth not a God is unworthy to be a man All that you have to look after therefore is to prove the Minor that this or that is the word of God And as concerning the Scripture in general it carryeth sufficient Reason to warrant and oblige any man that readeth or heareth it to believe it in the forehead of it It shineth by It shineth by its own light and it beareth the certain seal of Heaven So that we have gooâ— Reason to believe the Scripture or Doctrine oâ— Christ to be the word of God And then we havâ— as good reason to believe it and every part of â—â— to be true And then what ground is there for any further exceptions or objections When yoâ— have seen the seal of God affixed and perceiveâ— sufficient evidence of the verity of the whole what room is left for cavils against any parâ— of it Object But it is certain that God never spokâ— contradictions Therefore if I finde contradictions in the Scriptures may I not rationally argue that they are not the Word of God Answ. Yes if you could certainly and infallibly prove your Minor that Scripture hath such contradictions But that 's not a thing that a sober man can be confident of proving because all things that men understand not may seem to them to have contradictions And you have far more reason to suspect your own shallow understanding then the Word For those things as I have shewed may be easily reconcileable by others that understand which seem most unreconcileable to you Are you sure there can be no way of reconciliation but you must know it It 's easie therefore to see that your Minor cannot possibly be proved Yea it may be easily and certainly disproved even by him that cannot reconcile those seeming contradictions For God attesteth no contradictions but God attesteth the holy Scripture Therefore the holy Scriptures have no contradictions The Major is most evident to the light of nature and granted by your selfe The Minor â—s proved at large before and elsewhere Gods attestation is discernable to Reason It is therefore a preposterous course to begin â—t the quality of the word and to argue thence that God revealed it not when you should begin at the Attestation or seal of God and argue thence that he did reveal it and indeed the very quality beareth or containeth his Image and Seal For you are more capable of discerning the seale of God attesting it in the spirit of Miracles and Holiness c. then you are of discerning presently the sense of all those passages that seem contradictory to you You may easily be ignorant of the true interpretation for want of acquaintance with some one of those many things that are necessary thereto But I can be certain that God hath astested the Scripture to be his Word And indeed common reason tells us that we must first have a general proof that Scripture is Gods word and argue thence to the verity of the parts